Signals for mailboxes



March 20, 1962 F. A. HOLMGREN ETAL 3,026,024

SIGNALS FOR MAILBOXES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 24, 1960 FIG.1

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March 20, 1962 F. A. HOLMGREN ETAL 3,026,024

SIGNALS FOR MAILBOXES Filed Oct. 2 1960 2 SheetsShee' 2 INV EN TOR.

FRANK A. fioLMGREN BY FREDA [.HOLMGREN A7- TaRwEYo atet Ohice Patented Mar. 20, 1952 3,026,924 SKGNALS FUR MAILBOXE Frank A. Holmgren and Freda I. Holmgren, both of 13709 Wayzata Blvd, Minneapolis, Minn. Filed Oct. 24, 1960, er. No. 64,6tt 2 Claims. (Cl. 232-35) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in signal devices for mailboxes and particularly to mailboxes in rural areas where the mailbox may often be located a considerable distance from the house. Under such conditions, the home owner may miss the mail carrier when he makes his daily trip and, as a result, will not know whether or not the carrier has deposited any mail in his box. The home owner may then have to make a trip to the mailbox to see if the mail carrier left some mail. Should the mail carrier for some reason have been delayed, the home owner may have to make other trips to the mailbox.

An important object of the present invention therefore is to provide a signal device which may readily be embodied in a conventional mailbox or be attached thereto, which comprises a movable signal adapted to be moved into a position to be readily visible from the home owners house or residence by the home owner to indicate that the mailbox is empty, and its door is closed, said signal being so associated with the door of the mailbox that when the door is subsequently opened by the mail carrier for the insertion of fresh mail into the box, said signal is released and automatically moves to a position to apprize the home owner that the mailbox has been opened and may contain mail, a newspaper, or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a signalling device which is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction and which may readily be applied to most conventional mailboxes without altering the construction of the mailbox.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a signalling device which may be constructed as an attachment for a conventional mailbox, and may be manufactured and assembled as a complete unit having means for readily securing it to the mailbox with its actuating member positioned to be engaged by the door of the mailbox, when said door is moved into its closed position; and in the provision of a signalling device of the character described comprising a minimum of parts; and which is highly practical and eflicient in operation.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment-will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional mailbox showing the invention applied thereto, parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the operating mechanism thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear view of the mailbox showing in full lines the position of the signal before mail has been deposited in the mailbox;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a top view of the signalling device detached from the mailbox;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of a conventional mailbox showing a signalling device of modified construction applied thereto, the upper portion of the door of the mailbox and a portion of the wall of the mailbox being broken away to more clearly illustrate the invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 77 of FIGURE 6, showing the signalling device in its extended position, as when the mailbox is empty.

In the selected embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, there is illustrated, for purposes of disclosure, a conventional mailbox, generally designated by the numeral 2, comprising a top wall 3, a rear wall 4, and a pivoted door 5 forming the front wall of the box. The door 5 has a keeper, generally designated by the numerals 6 and '7, for retaining the door in its closed position, as is well known in the art.

The signalling device herein disclosed, in its preferred form, is best illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 5, inclusive, and is in the form of an attachment whereby it may be assembled as a complete unit independently of the mailbox, as best shown in FIGURE 5.

The attachment comprises an elongated inverted channel-shaped housing 8 having a top wall 9 and opposed side walls 11 and 12. The side walls are shown provided with outwardly extending wall portions or flanges 13 and 14, respectively, adapted to be seated against the upper curved wall 3 of the mailbox, as best illustrated in FIG- URE 4. The flanges may be adhesively secured to the wall 3 of the mailbox or, if desired, they may be secured to the wall 3 by small rivets, or by spot welding.

Mounted within the member 8 is an elongated shaft 15 the opposite ends of which extend through apertures in the end walls 16 and 17 of member 8. At the rear end of the mailbox the shaft 15 is bent at right angles, as shown at 18, to provide an offset end portion or crank 19 to which a suitable signal device 21 is secured. When signal 21 is in the full line position shown in FlGURE 3, it may readily be seen from a considerable distance from the mailbox. A spacing sleeve or collar 22 may be provided between the rear wall 16 of member 8 and the crank 19.

The opposite or forward end portion of shaft 15 is shown provided with a finger grip 241 by which the shaft 15 may readily be actuated to swing the signal into its extended position, shown in FIGURE 3, by. the home owner when he removes mail from the box. A spring biased signal retaining rod 23 is mounted within the channel-shaped member 8 and has its rear end portion extending through an aperture in the rear wall 16 of member 8, whereby it may extend into the path of the crank 19 when the door of the mailbox is closed and mail has been deposited in the box. The opposite or front end portion of rod 23 is slidably supported in an aperture provided in the front wall 17 of member 8, and extends outwardly therefrom into position to be engaged by an abutment member 24, shown secured to the edge of the door 5, as will be understood by reference to FIGURE 1.

A cross-wall 25 is secured in the member 8 adjacent to its forward end and forms an abutment for one end of a spring 26, the opposite end of which is seated against a collar 27 secured to rod 23 within member 8. The spring 26 constantly urges the rod 23 in a forward direction against the log 24 on the door when the door is closed, as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. When the parts are positioned as shown in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, the rear end of rod 23 is engaged with crank 19 and thus retains the signal in its extended position, as shown in full lines in FIGURE 3. When the door is subsequently opened, rod 23 releases crank 19 whereby the signal 21 automatically drops to the dotted line position, indicated in FIGURE 3.

In FIGURES 6 and 7 there is shown a signalling de-. vice of slightly modified construction wherein a tubular member 28 is secured to the upper curved wall 3 of the mailbox by spaced brackets 29 and 31. These brackets are preferably soldered or welded to the tubular member 28 and have their lower end portions laterally offset to provide feet 32 and 33, respectively, adapted to be seated against the wall 3 of the mailbox. Feet 32 and 33 may be secured to the wall 3 by spot welding, rivets, or by a suitable adhesive.

A shaft 34 is mounted within the tubular member 28 and is provided at its rear end with a crank 35, similar to crank 19, shown in the previous figure. A suitable finger grip 36 is provided at the front end of shaft 34.

A signal retaining rod 37, similar to rod 23, has its rear end portion slidably supported in a guide aperture provided in the rear wall 4 of the mailbox and is adapted to be positioned in the path of crank 35, as shown in FIGURE 6. v

Secured to the inner surface of the top wall 3 of the mailbox adjacent its forward end is a bracket 39 having offset terminals 41 and 42 which cooperate to slidably support the forward end portion 43 of rod 37. A spring 44 is shown having one end seated against the offset end portion 41 of bracket 39, and has its opposite end seated against a collar 45 fixedly secured to rod 37. Thus spring 44- constantly urges rod 37 in a forward direction whereby its front end portion 43 may be engaged by the door 5, when the door is swung into closing position, as shown in FIGURE 6. A signal device 46 is secured to crank 35.

To prepare the novel signalling device herein disclosed for operation, the home owner first closes the door 5 of the mailbox, causing abutment element 24 on the door to engage and rearwardly move rod 23, whereby the rear terminal of rod 23 is moved into the path of crank arm 19, as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. He then partially rotates shaft 15 by manipulation of finger grip 20 until crank arm 19 engages the projected rear end portion of shaft 23, whereupon signal 21 is retained in its operative extended position, as best shown in FIGURE 3.

When the door 5 of the mailbox is subsequently opened by the mail carrier for the insertion of mail and other articles thereinto, shaft 15 is retracted by spring 26, thereby releasing crank arm 19 and causing signal 21 to automatically return to its inoperative position adjacent to the rear end wall 4 of the mailbox, as indicated by the dotted lines in FIGURE 3. Thus, when the home owner notes that the signal 21 has shifted from the full line to the dotted line position, shown in FIGURE 3, he is apprized that the mailbox has been opened, and may contain mail and/or other printed matter.

The structure illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 is operated in substantially the same manner, in that when the mail carrier opens the door of the mailbox to deposit mail therein, the signal 46 automatically drops to a position behind the rear end of the mailbox, as in FIGURE 3, whereby the home owner is apprized of the fact that someone has opened the door of the mailbox and that the box may contain mail. I v v The invention has been found highly efficient and practical in actual use. It is semi-automatic in operation in that shifting of rod 23 from its locking engagement with crank 19 to its depending position behind the rear end wall of the mailbox is effected entirely by the manual opening of the door of the mailbox by the mail carrier, when he is about to insert mail into the box. When the home owner picks up the mail, he resets the signal, as hereinbefore stated, so that it is ready to indicate when the next delivery of mail is deposited in the mailbox, or when a newspaper may have been deposited therein.

In the form shown in FIGURES 1 to 5, inclusive, the signalling device may be manufactured as a complete unit, all parts being assembled ready for i'nsta'lla'tionflon the wall of the mailbox as indicated in the drawings. When the wall of the mailbox is made of a smooth surfaced metal, the flanges I3 and 14 of member 8 may readily be adhered to the Wall of the mailbox by a suitable adhesive, now readily available on the market. Should the mailbox be made of corrugated sheet metal the flanges may be secured to the wall of the mailbox by suitable rivets, spot Welding, or by other means suitable for the purpose. In the form shown in FIGURES l to 5, inclusive, the rod 23 is embodied in the member 8, and thus does not require the drilling of a guide aperture in the rear wall of the mailbox, as in the form shown in FIGURES 6 and 7.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth'may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention;

1. In a signal attachment for a mailbox having a hinged door, said attachment comprising an elongated channel shaped supporting member having means for securing it to the exterior surface of a mailbox, a shaft rotatably mounted in said channel shaped member and having a crank arm at its rear end to which a signal is secured, a finger grip at the forward end of said shaft to facilitate manipulating said shaft to swing the signal into signalling position when the door of the mailbox is opened, a signal retaining rod mounted for axial movement in said channel member and having one end slidably supported in the rear end wall of said channel member, said rod being adapted to be moved into the path of said crank arm to retain it in signalling position, the opposite end of said rod being slidably supported in the frontwallof said channel member and being positioned to be engaged by the door of the mailbox when said door is moved into closing position, thereby to axially translate said rod in 2,573,879 Seibel NOV. 6, 1951 2,754,051 Shellabarger July 10, 1956 2,807,410 Ward Sept. 24, 1957 2,853,230 Hays Sept. 23,1958 2,872,103 Heard Feb. 3, 1959 2,874,896 Hickman Feb. 24, 1959 

